Like Phantoms Forever

She'd slowed down by the time he caught up, sitting on the curb with her bag in her lap and one shoe back on, working on the second.

"Hey," he said.

She looked up. More annoyed than surprised, like she made the connection the second he did.

“You gonna let me bum one of those or just stare at me with Andre the Giant over there?”

He followed her eyes down–he forgot to drop the barely lit piece of salvation in his hand.

The twisted mouth threw him off, “What? My spit good enough for an alley, but I got cooties out in the real world?”

She looked at him blankly. Like he hadn't rocked her world without even losing the belt.

"We hooked up," Frank offered as a memory jab, “Geoff’s place…bathroom door…’

Kat blinked at him slowly, "You weren't the only one that hooked up that night—you heard the set…." She went back to her shoe, “besides, swapping spit and taking you into my lungs are two different things, gimmie a fresh one?"

Frank laughed and handed over the damp box before he could stop himself, "Don't tell me you're banging Geoff."

She shrugged, "Someone had to let him know it was fuckin' A, don't know what hole he pulled that out of but shit."

Frank fixed the cigarette between his lips, "You know I'm in a band too."

She looked him up and down,"Oh yeah? Which one?"

Pause.

They still hadn't picked a name. He'd brought it up twice. Gerard kept saying *something'll come to us* and then going back to his sketchbook.

"You might've caught my last one," Frank reached far up his ass to pull out, "Pencey Prep. Played almost every shit basement in the county."

Kat tilted her head like she was flipping through a mental catalog. "Caught some of those shitty dorm parties." She considered, "Rhythm guitar was trash."

"He's still learning, what about me?"

She turned away covering a laugh while trying to protect a windy cigarette.

He spread his hands, *Well?*

She looked him up and down the way someone looked at a car they were thinking about buying, “Thought you could do better than a bassist who thought he was van halen."

Frank sat down next to her on the curb, ass nearly freezing off. Wondered how she survived in fishnets and leather.

She barely looked bothered.

"Frank," he said.

She smiled at the middle distance, "You know my name."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah." She was already digging through the big black purse next to her, "Otherwise you wouldn't have ran over here like I owed you money."

She trailed off, digging deeper.

"Fuck."

"What, Trojans run too free?"

"Please, " She didn't look up, "I'm on the pill. That asshole stole my bus card."

And there it was: his opening

"Lucky for you my dad's got the wagon parked around the corner. Plenty of room on my lap."

Kat looked at him then. Really looked. At the over gelled hair and the metal in his lip that his tongue couldn't leave alone—but she never could say no to hazel eyes, "You want me to meet your folks."

"We'll tell 'em you're my new girlfriend."

"They meet the last one?"

"Loved her."

Kat was quiet for a second. Doing the math again, Frank thought.

"Should I tell 'em you knocked me up? Soften the blow?"

"Not unless you want to leave with a bag full of primo baby clothes."

She yanked the cigarette from his lips.

"Lead the way."

Mrs.Iero had gotten used to meeting strange faces. Seemed like every other month her baby boy brought a new one to the dinner table and each time she tried her best to remember the golden rule.

Every muscle in her face had memorized it.

None of them seemed to remember it when a wet haired girl showing off too much of what the good Lord forgot to give her in front of the whole perish, stood with bare feet on salted ice.

“Ma, want you to meet somebody, this is-”

“Katherine,” The barefoot girl interrupted,

Frank smirked, respect cost more than a few letters.

But the look on his mother's face was priceless. Sometimes Frank caught himself wondering exactly how long she could hold the Catholic smile.

“Look at that face, “ she smiled, “you hungry? I made cutlets.”

“Fuck yeah— I mean…yes ma'am,”

Frank stifled a laugh knowing he wasn't too old to catch a spoon to the knuckles.

They all climbed in to the wagon.

The girls asking too many questions to the new accessory on their brother's lap.

Kat glared from the corner of her eye, couldn't wait to end this fucking ride.